Illustrative Painting with Gouache

Learn how Jennifer Orkin Lewis (also known as August Wren) uses gouache to create vibrant illustrations. Jennifer’s paintings are full of color and movement, and in this 3-part series, you’ll learn how to approach painting in her lively style. The class begins with a lesson on mixing colors and painting everyday objects. Once you’ve had a chance to practice your brushstrokes, you’ll learn how to paint florals and create stylized lettering.

Before you start painting illustrations with gouache, it’s important to understand how to work with the medium. Jennifer begins by showing you how to set up your palette and mix custom colors. She also teaches how to work “thick” or “thin” with dry and wet gouache in order to achieve different effects. Once you’ve got the hang of working with gouache, Jennifer shows you how to approach painting fanciful everyday objects, like teapots and mugs.

Working from real flowers, learn how to paint single stems using gouache and watercolor. Once you’ve learned how to paint individual flowers, you’re ready to combine stems into a bouquet and arrange a still life. Jennifer shows her process for painting vases and tablescapes with elements from real life and from imagination.

Use your own handwriting to cultivate a lettering style that is all you. Jen Orkin Lewis shows you how to create a lowercase and uppercase alphabet using paintbrushes and gouache paint. She then shows you how to build forms and add color to create vibrant block lettering. As a final project, you’ll paint a favorite quote and add embellishments to make a frame-worthy finished piece.

It can be intimidating to sit down and paint a portrait. Jennifer Orkin Lewis makes it easy by simplifying facial features into basic forms and using photo references. As an exercise for getting started, Jennifer suggests you use vintage black and white photos and add color to loosen up. From there, you’ll move on to working from a color photo reference and add even more depth in a second portrait.